Dean, while discussing the race to replace outgoing Vermont Senator Jim Jeffords, insisted to Russert that potential candidate Bernie Sanders, an admitted socialist, was no different than the liberal wing of his own party:

Russert: ...there's a vacancy for the United States Senate about to occur. Bernie Sanders, the congressman from Vermont, wants to run for that seat. He is a self-described avowed socialist.

Dean: Well, that's what he says. He's really a populist.

Russert: But is there room in the Democratic Party for a socialist?

Dean: Well, first of all, he's not a socialist, really.

Russert: ...he wrote in his book: "Outsider in the House, I am a Democratic socialist."

Dean: Well, a Democratic socialist--all right, we're talking about words here. And Bernie can call himself anything he wants. He is basically a liberal Democrat

[I]f, as Dean claims, a socialist "is basically a liberal Democrat," then a liberal Democrat is basically a socialist. Which... is something you'd expect to hear from a right-wing kook, not the Democratic chairman.

At least you have to give Dean points for honesty. He finally "admitted" something we "right wing kooks" have been telling the public for half a century.